Unrequited Love
by Chikku-Chikku
Summary: Tajima gives Abe the best present he has ever received.
1. Abe: Prologue

Warning: Crack pairing Tajima/Abe + Abe/Mihashi. Angst, melodrama, mild OOC, etc.

* * *

**Unrequited Love**

* * *

_"A-Abe-kun..."_

How he loved it when Mihashi said his name.

Granted, it took forever for the pitcher to get that single coherent word out, but Abe was usually patient when it came to Mihashi.

He would never admit it out loud, but he thought that stuttering, continuously blushing face was awfully cute.

And it was a fact that Mihashi seem to get more nervous around him,

the flush on his cheeks gradually turning into two deep crimson dots.

It was really endearing how his presence could make someone so overly conscious.

Though sometimes, at night when things were finally quiet and he could settle down enough to think,

He thought that maybe the nervousness wasn't because Mihashi paid extra attention to him,

But because the pitcher was uncomfortable being around him,

And for some reason, that pained his heart more than the thought of unrequited love.

It was true that Mihashi smiled more in the presence of everyone else but him,

Especially Tajima.

_"A-Abe-kun..."_

Granted, he loved hearing that word being said in that voice.

But it'd be nice

If only, just for a day, the stuttering would go away.

_"Abe-kun."_


	2. Tajima: Prologue

Warning: Did I mention OOC?

* * *

**Unrequited Love **

* * *

Tajima loved the little things about Abe.

Things like his eyes, which were a really nice, clear gray,

Or the way Abe's voice seem to carry across the room when he talked or laughed,

Or how, when he brushed shoulders and held hands during meditation with Abe,

His heart began to flip wildly in his chest;

These things that made him smile and expand with warmth

Were so strange and foreign.

He'd never met a person who could send him floating sky-high with only a small glance,

With a casual word like, "Good job today" or "You're getting better at catching",

Before.

Though he knew that Abe returned his glances with nothing more than a friendly slap on the back,

A smile that held nothing but...a smile.

There was no longing stare, no blush, or intense excitement when Abe talked to him;

All of that he reserved for Mihashi.

_"A-Abe-kun..."_

How he'd love to say that name, and see the rare smile that Abe continously,

Carelessly, gave away to Mihashi.

If he could, just for a day, make Abe turn his way,

With that smile already on his face, those gray eyes filled with warmth,

He thought that this love, unrequited as it may be,

Would be worth it.


	3. Abe: Part 1

**Unrequited Love**

* * *

He hadn't really wanted anything for his birthday,

It was just another day, after all;

Another year older, another year endlessly chasing after something completely impossible.

So it was a surprise on Monday, five days before December 11th,

When Tajima came up to him and asked,

"What kind of present would ya like?"

The cleanup hitter, his eyes bright, stood before Abe with a smile that stretched all across his face.

Abe blinked.

"Nothing," he said and turned around to change;

"Why?" the smaller boy protested; Abe could imagine his lip set in a childish pout.

"Because," he replied calmly, "It's something no one will ever be able to give me."

_Mihashi's heart._

But Tajima danced around him, until their eyes met once more.

"I bet you I can," he declared. "I bet you I can give it to you. Whatever you want."

Abe stared at him, almost humorously, before pulling his shirt over his head and shaking his head.

_What was with that look on his face?_

Determination? Confidence?

It made him smile.

Abe finally raised an eyebrow, "Alright."

_If you think you can, I want you to give me Mihashi's heart._

_Rip it out of his chest if you have to, beat him down to a pulp if you have to,_

_Whatever you gotta do to get it for me,_

Was what he wanted to say.

Instead, the words that came out were entirely warped,

"I want Mihashi to say my name,

Without stuttering."

He bit back his tongue, but knew it was too late to take it back;

"Okay!" Tajima grinned and flashed him a thumbs-up. "I got it!"

Abe watched him sprint out of the locker room in stunned amazement.

_Idiot_, he shook his head.

Didn't Tajima know how hopelessly impossible it was?


	4. Tajima: Part 1

**Unrequited Love**

* * *

_Mihashi, of course._

His eyes glanced downwards, into the piles of snow that packed the driveway,

_Mihashi is Abe's object of desire, after all._

Tajima rubbed his hands together and walked to the steps of the porch,

He pulled his hat over his head tightly, trying to wipe away the anger and hurt on his face

Before knocking on the front door of the pitcher's house.

A burst of warm, honeyed air met his face;

Mihashi's mom stood in front of him, surprised but delighted at his abrupt visit,

"Oh, Tajima-kun's here!"

"Good morning, ma'am," he greeted her and grinned, "I thought I'd check up on Mihashi."

"He's in his room studying," she said, and brandished a plate of cookies from out of nowhere,

"Here's some snacks to take with you."

Tajima thanked her and trudged towards the room he now knew so well,

Through the house he knew all too well, and behind the door,

The boy who was his friend, who was his rival,

Who he wanted, more than anything,

_To go away._

"Ta..Tajima-kun?"

The door opened, blond-hair and yellow eyes met his

"Mihashi~!" He shouted and pounced on his unsuspecting friend;

He watched the surprise and then the happiness expand on Mihashi's flushed face,

Tajima's mouth discreetly pulled down in a frown;

_How was that? Did I act good enough?_

"W-why are you here...?"

"Well, I'd like to ask a favor from ya," Tajima took a seat next to the table,

Set the plate of cookies down on the ground,

Leaning his head to the side to stare at the pitcher,

"Saturday. Abe's birthday, right?"

A look crossed Mihashi's face as he mumbled,

"Y-yeah..."

_Why does he look so miserable?_

But Tajima just smiled and declared, "I want to give him the best present ever,

And for that, I need your help."

* * *

**A/N: **Beware of the Mihashi OOC next chapter!


	5. Mihashi

**Unrequited Love**

* * *

"His name," Tajima was saying,

"Can you say his name without stuttering, Mihashi?"

_I-I-I..._

He stared at Tajima in slight panic, mouth trying to move enough

To get out the words,

_C-can't...I can't..._

"Mihashi?" Now his friend looked worried,

Inching forward to place a palm on his forehead-

Mihashi felt like he was going to explode from the heat in the room;

"Tajima-kun!" he gasped out, "Can't! I can't!"

_Not with Abe-kun...I just..._

Those eyes, those dark gray eyes, staring at him

Reprimanding and stern, filled with annoyance;

And that voice, always commanding and so loud...

"Mihashi."

Trembling, he turned to face the strangely soft tone,

His eyes widened in surprise at the look in Tajima's warm red eyes...

_Warm...Unlike Abe-kun's._

"Mihashi, my name," the cleanup hitter said. "You just said it without stuttering."

_I...I did?_

"Now, Abe," Tajima urged, leaning forward;

Mihashi flushed and struggled to keep his arms from flailing,

Or his heart from hyperveniliating,

"Try saying Abe's name!"

"A-"

_Cold...gray...desolate...unhappiness..._

"A-A-A-Abe-kun..."

Mihashi felt his heart dip at the disappointed look on Tajima's face,

"I-I'm sorry-"

"Say my name again."

_The eyes were gentle now, patiently waiting for him_,

"Tajima-kun..."

"Say Abe's name again."

_Gray impatient eyes, yelling at him, telling him-_

"A-Abe-kun..."

"Mihashi."

The pitcher ducked his head low, afraid of being shouted at,

Afraid of Tajima hating him-

"Are you scared of Abe?"

He blinked tears away, and slowly raised his head up,

"Y-yeah..."

Mihashi unhappily stared at the ground, the words escaping from his mouth,

"I-I don't like A-Abe-kun!"

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**A/N:** Look what you've done, Abe! C: Sorry for the way OOC-ness, but I was just testing out a new perspective with Mihashi...

I mean, what if he really _disliked_ Abe for being so bossy all the time, instead of just falling head-over-heels in love with him?

-is shot-


	6. Tajima: Part 2

**Unrequited Love**

* * *

_Hopeless._

_This was...hopeless._

What was he going to do?

Tajima stared at Mihashi's bowed head, at his shaking body,

And felt a wave of anger, annoyance, and pity;

With the very distinct revelation that Mihashi might incidently

Like him.

_Me... Mihashi likes me?_

And suddenly, it hit him,

As those yellow eyes met his, tears still streaming down Mihashi's face,

The crimson blush so very obvious, the strange nervousness that had nothing to do with fear,

So very obvious.

"Mihashi, look at me," Tajima said quietly.

He pressed forward, reaching to clasp Mihashi's hand;

The pitcher's eyes widened when they saw Tajima's face,

Mere inches away - hyperveniliating -

"T-Tajima...?"

Without warning, he gently shoved Mihashi to the ground,

Pushed away the protesting arm,

And kissed him on the lips.

"Do you like me?" Tajima asked against his mouth,

The red blushes grew a shade darker,

Mortified, Mihashi could only nod.

Tajima smiled - albeit a sad one - and pinned down the pitcher's hands;

He pleaded,

"Then please...return my favor, by doing _me _a favor."

_Favor? _He could just imagine Mihashi figuring out the words, the kiss,

What had just happened, and what was about to happen soon.

"On Abe's birthday, say his name."

Tajima released the now-still hands,

"Don't stutter. Don't be nervous."

That dark loathing and bitterness welled up in him again,

And he blurted out the last words,

"And kiss him.

I want you to kiss Abe."


	7. Abe: Part 2

**Unrequited Love**

* * *

On the day of the party,

Abe was finding it hard to settle down as he waited for his friends to arrive.

Six-thirty PM and the sun was already down on a snowy Saturday evening;

Outside, sparks of orange, red, and yellow flitted from the horizon,

And a waterfall of frozen frost rained down on his head

As he sprinted outside the house to greet the figures trudging forward.

Seven-forty PM and the majority of the baseball team, plus a variety of his classmates

Were situated inside the cozy home, laughing and talking,

Eating snacks and drinking sodas, waiting for

Just two more people.

_"I bet I can give it to you. Whatever you want."_

He hadn't intended to take Tajima seriously,

But even so, for the past five days since that declaration,

Abe had actually been holding onto a small bit of hope.

_If only the two would show up now._

"Abe, what're you doing?" Sakaeguchi called from the porch,

"Come inside, it's freezing out here!"

He grinned sheepishly, and started up the steps,

Sighed, "Yeah, I guess";

Eight-fifteen PM,

And the sounds of two bicycles screeching to a halt outside the fence

Almost went unheard,

But Abe couldn't miss the loud, cheerful voice that came next;

_Tajima._

_And that means..._

He sprinted past the crowd of people,

Through the door,

Down the steps,

And almost collided into the blond-haired boy in front of him.

_Mihashi._

That flushing face, that normally jittery demeanor, those eyes that usually avoided him -

They were all gone.

Cheeks rosy from the cold, hands held behind his back,

Mihashi opened his mouth and said, loudly and confidently,

_"Happy birthday, Abe-kun!"_

For a second, he stepped back in complete and utter shock,

Staring at the person in front of him that resembled his unrequited love -

_Same hair, same eyes, but...Mihashi? _-

Then a hand shoved him forward,

Tajima's voice whispering, "I told you",

And into the small body that was, for once, not trembling or flailing.

"Happy birthday..." Mihashi gasped out again,

His arms pulling Abe close to complete and utter warmth,

And before the catcher even had time to register it,

Soft but cold lips met his.

_Soft but cold..._

_Mihashi's..._

Abe slowly closed his eyes,

Returning the kiss with a tilt of his head,

His own arms pulling the pitcher closer...

_Mihashi._


	8. Tajima: Epilogue

**Unrequited Love**

* * *

_It was enough._

Tajima felt his body shaking from the sheer weight of his heart,

Felt his mouth trembling from the sheer weight of his plastered smile,

Felt his eyes blurring from the sheer weight of his tears.

But it was enough.

Just to see that look of pure happiness,

The gray eyes softening with gentle love,

The smile that was warm and full of unsuppressed feelings,

Was worth it.

So why was his feet propelling him backwards,

As he turned away and ran out through the fence,

And into the snowy world that cascaded from deep above,

Blanketing him in cold, cold ice?

Why were the tears falling, his mouth openly sobbing,

Into the cloudy, gray sky?

It was worth it to see Abe's joy,

The things he'd constantly wished for everyday

At night when the stars sadly twinkled down upon him,

Telling him stories and tales of unrequited love,

Proving to him that his wasn't the only one,

Wasn't it?

Tajima sank to the ground,

His eyes growing more blurry

As he wrote in the frosty piles of snow,

On the sidewalks of a ice-drenched, dreary Saturday,

_Happy birthday, Abe._

To him, this was enough.

_It was more than enough._

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_**End.**_

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**A/N:** Umm...you guys can shoot me now if you want?

I feel like this needs a sequel, but not sure if I should do one or not C:


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